Afterlife: My Version
by Musiclove95
Summary: Heyyy! So here it is . . . my new fic! So as u know Hourglass ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. So since Afterlife doesnt come out til mxt yr this is my version! some fluff. R & RRRRRRRRRRRRR! xoxoxo
1. Chapter 1

**Heyy! So here it is! My BRAND NEW fic! It's set right after HOURGLASS finishes. IT's my version of Afterlife which comes out next year. Hope you like it! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I am NOT the fabulous Claudia Gray nor will I ever be. Hope you enjoy my writing anyway! The characters are all hers I just control their actions in this story and the plot line. **

1. Bargain

I closed my eyes, placing one hand on Lucas's chest. His breathing was slowing and his heart sounded like it was trying to beat itself right out of his chest. "Lucas will rise from the dead as a vampire," I heard myself whisper. I sounded far away, distant. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, trying to block my tears from spilling over. Balthazar put one hand on my shoulder but I flicked it off, simultaneously flicking my wrist to knock my coral bracelet into Vic's lap. "Bianca, where are you going?" Balthazar asked. I floated up to where Maxie was watching them. "To get help. Bring Lucas back to Vic's. I'll meet you there," I projected the thought to Balthazar.

Vic looked confused. His face was still wet with his tears and I could see that he was trying to make sense of all the weirdness around him. "Balthazar, what's going on?" For the first time since I'd met him, Vic sounded sad. I wished I could hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't and Vic knew that as well as I did. Balthazar relayed what I had said to Vic. "G'luck Bianca!" he called, trying to sound positive. I had to applaud him; Vic was fairly good at the whole optimistic every-cloud-has-a-silver-lining mentality.

I smiled inwardly to myself, and then turned to face Maxie. Her face was blank for once, devoid of any and all emotion or feelings. Maybe that was her grasp on looking neutral and uncaring? I didn't know. I barely even knew this . . . girl, wraith, whatever she was, but I already felt like I knew her inside out, personality-wise. Snarkiness was her favourite weapon and sarcasm was the only language she was truly fluent in. She didn't _do_ compassion, that much I could tell. "Take me to this 'magnificent' Christopher you've been talking about," I said, fighting the urge to snap and take out my frustration on her. Maxie didn't bite Lucas, Charity did. I didn't truly hate Maxie; I just didn't get along with her too well.

She looked confused but said nothing. The hurt I was feeling must've been plain on my face for Maxie to be rendered speechless. She took my hand in hers and closed her large brown eyes, furrowing her brow in concentration. I had a feeling that she was doing her teleportation thing, so I closed my eyes and waited to feel the nauseous feeling I felt the last few times. When a few moments had passed I opened my eyes, wondering if she hadn't succeeded. Well, we were somewhere. Where the nauseous feeling went I had no clue. I just hated how everything had turned out. Not Maxie's teleporting skills, but everything else. I hated being wraith. I hated Balthazar's sister, Charity. I hated myself for turning over the hourglass and biting Lucas. I had a feeling that one day Lucas would become a vampire, and that I wouldn't be the one to Turn him.

My life sucked, basically. First, I die. Bad enough right? Yeah, well after that I come back. As a vampire? No. As a wraith? Ding ding we have a winner! Then just when you'd think that nothing worse could happen to you, your best vampire friend, Balthazar, who has a psychotic vampire sister named Charity, _bites_ your vampire _hunter_ boyfriend who you have already bitten, _thrice_, and drinks from him Turning him into a vampire. The one thing he _never_ wanted to be, even though you _were_, emphasis on the past tense, destined to be. I had always thought I was going to be a vampire, I mean from Day 1 I was drinking blood out of a baby bottle alongside my baby formula, until my parents told me about the deal they made with the wraiths to let them have me. Apparently, vampires only have _bodies_ to give, no soul or spirit. When I found that out, I swore I would _never_ ever be a vampire. Little did I know. Now I'd _kill_ to get that old destiny back, that old future.

"Bianca, seriously. What. Do. You. Want? Your _humanity_?" the word 'humanity' dripped with her scorn. "He will _never_ give it to you. Trust me, I tried. Been there, done that, asked the question. And what was my answer? _No_. A big, fat, two-lettered N O. You think you're any different than me? You think I _wanted_ my brother to stab me with my quill pen in the attic of my . . . I mean, Vic's house and get away with it? No, I wanted anything to go back and show him up, maybe stab him with a quill pen myself, see how _he_ likes this life. Seriously, you think _any_ of us enjoy being dead? Able to see what's happening in the world and feel hurt and pain for the people it's happening to and have no say in any of it or the ability to help?"Maxie asked, sounding infuriated. I felt my stomach drop. Her _brother_ stabbed her? No wonder she was so bitter.

I gave Maxie a wry smile. "You see, Maxie, my _humanity_ is something I most certainly do _not_ want back. For all I care _you_ can have my old humanity. What I do want it my old destiny back. And I swear to God I would do anything to get it back," I told her. Maxie looked taken aback. "You—you want to be one of _them_?" she asked incredulously. I nodded. Sure as hell I did. I wanted to be with my Lucas, no matter what the cost was. If we were both vampires _together_ that destiny wouldn't be that horrible at all. My thoughts turned to Mom and Dad, happy together and forever in love. Being a vampire the way they did it was no bad at all.

"Can you _please_ get your head out of your fantasy world for two frickin' seconds? You are so _spacey_. You have to be a little more serious Bianca. Honestly, if you want Christopher to even listen to you and what you want, you have to be serious." Maxie rolled her eyes at me. "Just take me to Christopher," I said in a tired voice. I had had enough of Maxie and her constant criticism. Like I didn't _know_ that my life was messed up? I knew that very well. I didn't need her social criticism to keep reminding me. "Jeez, just drop the high and mighty act thing, okay?" Maxie sounded as fed up with me as I was with her. I nodded at her. Anything to get back to Lucas. Dawn was only six hours away. I had that long to see this Christopher guy, uh wraith and return to Vic's cellar to lie with Lucas and Change.

Maxie and I floated over to a wraith who looked like he was eighteen or nineteen but had the air of someone who was as old as time. Which he was, I realized. He was the first wraith. That was why he was the most powerful. Maxie's gave turned affectionate at the sight of him. I was guessing that someone had a little crush. "Hi Christopher, this is Bianca. She has something she wants to ask you," Maxie sounded dreamy. And _I_ needed to pull _my_ head out of the clouds?

"Hello, Bianca. Thank you Maxie, you may go," Christopher spoke kindly and turned his gaze onto me. "Hello," I said, giving him the best smile I could muster. Maybe, just maybe, he'd pity me and give me what I wanted. He had kind blue eyes and playfully ruffled brown hair. I could see why Maxie liked him. I made a mental note to tell her that she had a good sense in guys. "You are obviously here for something, so as k what you want and I'll listen and answer," he said, as if he did this fifty times a day. Who knew, maybe he did. "Umm, it's a bit of a long story," I warned, and Christopher just nodded and motioned for me to continue.

"I was born to two vampires. But in order to have me, my parents struck a deal with the wrai— with you guys. I didn't know about this 'deal' until a couple of months ago. I had always thought—and been told— that I was going to be a vampire. Until, that is, I met Lucas. I fell in love with him right away. I've always been a strong believer in love at first sight, but I didn't expect to be one of the rare people who get to experience it. Anyway, Lucas, a Black Cross vampire hunter, well, he fell in love with me too. When we were dating at Evernight Academy he kept making comments about my parents not telling me the truth about my life—and I never believed him. I just thought he was jealous because from the way he described his mom, Kate, she didn't _sound_ half as good as my parents.

"So Lucas showed me what my parents had been sheltering me from my whole life; the nasty, dirty, deceiving side of vampires that would definitely convince me that I would never want to be one. That was when I realized that my parents weren't any different than other vampires at all; they deceived me into thinking that being a vampire was all sunshine and happiness, well not sunshine exactly but you get my point. So I realized that I didn't want to be a good girl and become what my parents wanted me to become; all I wanted was to be happy with Lucas. Before that, though, Lucas got kicked out of Evernight, the vampire boarding school my parents forced me to attend and that he went to infiltrate. So he got found out and kicked out for good. After he left, wraiths started attacking the school and targeting me. That was when I learned why I was living and the only reason I was told was because Mrs. Bethany, the headmistress, _forced_ my parents to tell me.

"So like any other typical North American teenager, I ran away with Lucas, my boyfriend. He was still in Black Cross at that point so I joined them with him. But it was hard. I required blood to function and everyone in Black Cross were anti-vampire and they'd have killed me if they saw me drinking blood. It would be like having an enemy spy stealing and listening in on all of your secrets. So, first they captured Balthazar, who was a really good friend of mine at Evernight and my date to the Autumn Ball _two_ years in a row, since Lucas and I always seemed to be broken up for that event. Lucas and I saved him. We set him free. Later that week I got really hungry, thirsty I guess, when we were on a patrol together, so Lucas snuck over to a hospital to get me some fresh human blood. While I was drinking it Raquel and Dana who were some friends of ours in Black Cross at that time, saw me drinking blood and turned us in.

"We got kicked out. No surprise there. So we ran away, cuz they wanted to kill us. We ran to Chinatown in New York and stayed with the guy who was hiding Balthazar until he got his strength back. Balthazar gave us money so we could get out of town and we took a bus to Philadelphia. We rented a room at a motel at first, until we remembered that a friend of ours from school, Vic Woodson, lived in Philly. We met up with him and he offered us free room and board in his family's empty wine cellar.

"Lucas and I got jobs in Philly so we could afford clothes and other items for ourselves and maybe one day pay Vic and Balthazar back for the money they both lent us. But on my first day at my job, I got really dizzy and almost fainted. I started losing my appetite for blood which had been growing ever since I first bit Lucas on the night of the first Evernight Autumn Ball I went to. I've bitten him twice since. I started feeling really sick, so Lucas took me to a doctor. She asked me a bunch of questions but eventually she couldn't figure out what was wrong with me." The words were flowing out of my mouth on their own accord now.

"She went to go get another doctor, but I took off. I ran to the waiting room and grabbed Lucas and we drove away in our stolen car. _We_ didn't steal the car, a couple of vampire guys did. We took it from them. That night, Lucas told me to drink from him and complete the Change and that when we both rose as vampires, to kill him. I told him no. I didn't want a life without him. So I died and became this. Lucas called our friends Vic and Ranulf and Balthazar. They helped him bury me. That was when Balthazar learned that his sister was in town. Charity, Balthazar's sister, hates me. I tried to be her friend and help her out but she wanted me to join her Tribe and I refused. Lucas went with Balthazar to go see Charity. Vic and Ranulf stayed behind.

"They fought with Charity and her tribe of vampires and that was when Maxie finally showed me how to materialize for a bit using my coral bracelet. I did and Vic, Ranulf and I drove after Lucas and Balthazar to help them. When Charity saw me coming she bit Lucas and drank from him. Lucas was already very weak from fighting so all Charity, a vampire, had to do was drink from him and he would start to Change. I guess I should've guessed that would happen, I sort of set Lucas up for it," I let out a shaky laugh and took a deep breath.

"So, what all that means is that I want to be a vampire with Lucas. Maxie told me that you can do that, or she alluded to it. I'll do anything to have that destiny back!" my voice rose and my tears spilled over. Christopher put one hand on my shoulder. It was a comforting gesture, in a weird way. "My dear, Bianca. You have been through a lot, I can tell. I _do_ have the power to give you what you want, but I am really only allowed to bestow that _gift_ on those who are truly worthy. I am not angry with your request at all and I understand your situation. It shows real courage to ask a question like that. I will give you what you want," he paused and I smiled but he held up one finger in a way that made me figure there was a catch, "but there is a cost. I will give you one year to adjust, but within one month after that year is up, you must take a vampires life and give it to me," Christopher rifled through his coat pocket, pulling out a coral studded stake and a coral chain-link bracelet. I knew just whose life I'd give to Christopher, Charity More's. Balthazar wouldn't mind at all, especially after what he saw in Charity when she fought against him.

"In order for the life to be mine, the vampire must be stabbed with this coral studded stake and have this bracelet around their wrist. You will them call me with your mind and I will come for them or send someone. If you agree to this, I will now take you back to your friends and you may start your other destiny as you wished. The thirteen months start as soon as you wake up and are fully conscious. But Bianca, I am very sorry that you won't give this life a try. It isn't as bad as it looks once you get used to it," he said kindly. "Thank you so much, you are amazing. But I have to be with Lucas. I'd just like to say good-bye to Maxie first. Christopher smiled at me and I ran over to the girl standing a little ways away.

"He said yes! I just wanted to thank you." Maxie blushed at my statement. "No problem. Good luck with your Lucas and adjusting. I'll be in Vic's attic if you need anything." I hugged her and floated back over to Christopher who handed me the bracelet and stake. "If you are ready now, I'll escort you back to your friends. Maxie will be your personal guide once you start your new life. You will be able to see her and talk to her as you would a normal human." Christopher took my hand and we descended through the clouds down to Vic's wine cellar.

Everyone was crowded around Lucas who was laid on the couch. My feet touched the ground and I fell down instantly, solid and breathing on the floor. My eyes closed and I could feel my heart beat as fast as a hummingbird's wings. "What the—? Bianca?" Balthazar cried. He sounded so far away, so distant. "She is okay," Christopher's voice said. He must've materialized. "Keep these safe for Bianca. She'll need them. She is Changing into a vampire, like Lucas."

"Who are you?" Vic demanded sound tired and upset. My breathing went wheezy and started to slow. "I'm Christopher, a friend of Maxie and Bianca. I gave her a chance to be with Lucas as a vampire. Tell her I say good bye and good luck." With that, I could tell that Christopher was gone because Vic and Ranulf gasped. "I thought you said spirits did not exist?" Ranulf accused.

My ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton and I felt sleepy. I could feel Balthazar's strong arms lifting me up onto the couch across from Lucas. I could hear my heart stop beating and my breath stop coming out. Lucas, too, was silent. At peace, I fell into a deep sleep.

**Kay so that was it! Hope you liked it! So . . . . . . . . REVIEW!**

**Xoxoxo TC95 **


	2. Authors Note

Hello all! I am the worst writer ever because I'm sad to say but I completely forgot all about all of you and my stories. I was really really busy with exam prep and culminating for most of May and all of June. They went well and I have an 86 average now (hurray for me!). I just wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed my stories in the past few weeks because you are the reason I even remembered i was writing stories. I'm exaggerating a little bit. i didn't forget about updating, it just wasn't on the top of my priority list. I just got back from a two-week vacation up North and got a lovely tan. I also succeeded in dropping a ski in water skiing and almost getting up on a wakeboard. This month (July) I am doing my civics and careers course on-line so that I can have an extra elective for school next year (Drama, French, and Vocals baby!) so I won't have much time to update this month as the course is very time consuming (I spend about 6 hours a day typing and doing assignments). Luckily, the course is only one month and then I will be very busily writing all through August to update for all of you and make up for what I missed. My computer recently deleted all of my chapters so i will be starting them again from scratch (not the stories just the latest chapters I forgot to post) so bear with me as the process will be a bit slower. I have already started two new stories, one a crossover and one a straight fanfic story cuz I got bored one day while I was at my cottage. I Promise to update soon.

Love you all,

Tally Cullen 95


	3. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Hi! I'm really really sorry! I've been completely swamped with work from school, and I haven't had any time to update! I'm posting this author's note to let everyone know that I'm actually alive, and that I have news! If you're reading this, you have probably noticed that I have changed my pen name. I came up with my old pen name, **Tally Cullen95**, when I first started writing fanfiction and I was in love with the _Twilight Saga_ and _Uglies_. But that was almost 2 years ago, and I haven't touched either of those books/series since then. So this morning, I was in creative mood and thought up a new pen name: **FireandIce95**. Yes, I kept the **95** on the end of my pen name. So that was the first reason I decided to post this Authors Note. The second reason is that I wanted to send out a promise. I'm on my exam break right now, so I'm promising that by the end of my break, I will have updated all 5 of my stories. I have half a chapter written for _Resurfacing_, and 3/4 of a chapter written for _Forever_ so far, and half a chapter for _Shadowhunter Reunion_. I might not update _Before Clary_ and I promise to try my hardest to update _Afterlife: my Version_. That's something to look forward to! Okay, I don't want to make this Author's Note super long, but I feel like I owe you guys something. So below I have posted a little excerpt from each of the three stories I already have partial chapters written for. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my stories! I LOVE ALL Of YOUR REVIEWS!

xoxoxoxoxo,

**FireandIce95**

_**Resurfacing**_

Jace PoV

Alec coughed as he was reading his novel. "Wow, Jace. You 'love' her? I never thought I'd hear _you_ say those words. Is she 'the one'?" he teased.

_I want her to be, but I don't think she really i_s.

"What did you say, Jace?" Alec asked. I looked up, not aware that I had actually said that out loud.

"Nothing, Alec. Just shut up and read your girly book," I snapped back. Love was a touchy topic for me.

"It's not that girly," he said, tucking the paperback under his arm and looking stung.

"Yeah, Alec, it's not girly in the least. Even though it's about vampires, and the main character is a _girl_," I said harshly. I wasn't in a good mood today.

My leg didn't hurt that much, and at the rate I was healing, I could probably make it though the whole night walking on it. What I didn't want was to run into _her_.

I hadn't seen her since I was shot. She never visited me in the hospital, but Isabelle did bring me a super-generic _Get Well Soon_ card that had _her_ name signed on it.

Yes, I was still not naming her. Every time I said or thought her name, memories would come up, horrible unwanted memories that I worked so hard to keep out. Any walls I had built around those memories would dissolve, and the memories would bombard me. There weren't many memories locked up in that category, but they were all powerful.

_The more I think about this, the easier it will be for the memories to come back_, I thought. _No more thinking_.

I turned to Alec, about to comment on his bookmark—it was pink and sparkly—when the doorbell rang.

"Jace, go get the door," Alec said, not glancing up from his book.

"I'm _injured_ Alec. Your legs work fine; why can't you go get it?" I demanded.

"I can't go get it because Stevie Rae is dying and if I get up I might start crying," Alec mumbled.

"He died a while ago, Alec. What kind of vampire book is that?" I asked.

Alec shook his head at me. "Not the famous blues musician, Jace. It's a girl, and she's dying because her body is rejecting the change from fledgling to vampire!" Alec's voice rose to a shriek at the end.

"Calm down, Alec. You're turning into Isabelle. I'll get it," I caved, gingerly standing on my leg. In all honesty, it felt perfectly fine, but I didn't want to risk re-opening the wound before tonight.

"Is someone going to get that?" Izzy shouted from upstairs. She got back from her spa treatment about an hour ago and had locked herself in her room to get ready for prom.

"I'm getting it, Iz. Go back to whatever you were doing," I called. I was almost at the door when Isabelle answered.

"Okay. Well, send her up when you get to the door! Tell her my door is unlocked even though it's shut and that she doesn't need to knock on my bedroom door."

Wait. _Her_? I took a deep breath and opened the door. Sure enough, _she_ was the one standing on the porch, a dress bag slung over her shoulder and strappy black stiletto's dangling from her fingers.

"Hi, Jace," she said, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Hi," I said shortly, opening the door a little wider. "Iz told me to tell you that she's in her room, and although her door is closed, its unlocked and you can go right in." _God, I'm such an idiot_.

"Thanks," she said, staring awkwardly at the ground. "Your leg must feel better if you're walking on it," she said, the same way you would say 'It's colder out here when the sun's gone'.

"Yeah, it's better," I said, the way you'd say 'Yeah, it's pretty cold out'. I had to force my next words out, not because I was a stubborn ass, but because talking to her like this hurt. A lot. "Thanks. For . . . everything. Calling the hospital, I mean." _What happened to being eloquent?_

She stared at her shoes. "Oh, that. It was no—no problem. Standard first aid practice."

_Of course it was_. "Well, it was good thinking of you. Izzy's waiting for you, if you don't get up there she'll probably assume I torturing you down here." I got out of the way so she could walk in.

I left her to shut the door and walk up the stairs and made my way back to the living room.

"Damn you," I told Alec, sitting back down and lifting my leg to rest on a pillow.

"Huh?" Alec looked up, his eyes a little teary.

I sighed and put my head in my palms. "Alec, are you seriously crying because some girl named after Stevie Ray Vaughan just died in a _fictional book_?" I asked him.

"Yes, Jace. And I'm not afraid to show it," Alec said, holding his head up high with a dignified air.

I reached into my pocket and took my phone out, pointing the camera at Alec's face. "Really? So can I take a picture and post it on Facebook?" I asked.

"Shut the hell up, Jace. Put the phone away and turn on a damn sports game or something," Alec seethed, clearly through with the all crap I'd been giving him all day.

I was too busy trying to calm myself down to do anything but sit there. I didn't even know _why_ I was upset. Actually, I know why. I was so upset over all of the unwanted memories that Clary made me think of that the only thing I could do to ease the pain was piss others off. And I was doing a damn good job.

Isabelle PoV

Watching two people break each other's hearts is hard. I have had, and caused, my fair share of heart breaks, but I had no idea that they actually hurt the people close to the heart-broken. I had my first heart break when I was eleven. His name was Jack, and if you had asked the eleven-year-old-Isabelle if she loved him, she'd have sworn yes, up and down. He was a year older than me, twelve, and I thought he was the hottest thing on the face of this earth. He was your classic middle-school bad-boy. His hair was the same colour as my favourite chocolate brown Coach tote, and his eyes were greener than anything I had ever seen before. I remember thinking that the best thing about him was that he was taller than me. If I had wanted to, I could've rested my head on his chest. And did I _ever_ want that.

It was June, close to summer vacation, and my best friend Anne and I made a pact to have a boyfriend by the end of the school year. I had my sights set on Jack, and I oriented my whole day around flirting with him and getting to know his friends. His best-y was a super-cute guy named Tyler and, if I wasn't head-over-heels in love with Jack, I would've wanted him. Ty was hilarious and hot as hell, but he had a girlfriend, and even _I_ knew enough to not go after an already taken boy.

Anyway, back to Jack. Rhyming not intended. So, on the last day of school before summer vacation, Jack kissed me. On the lips. My world was spinning. That was my first kiss, and I swear to God, I compare every kiss I have to that one because regardless of who the kiss was with, it was the perfect mix of rose petal sweetness and firework spark that every girl wishes for.

Jack and I dated all summer, and it was like magic. We went on walks through Central Park, he bought me teddy bears—of every colour imaginable— and he even went _shoe-shopping_ with me. Amazing, right? More like too good to be true. Here's where the heart-break comes in—I caught him cheating on me with my best friend. They were making out under _my window_, like he was flaunting the fact that he could have both of us. So I did what any other girl would've done. I walked down, wearing my purple silk Victoria Secret pyjama's and slapped him. Hard. Then i turned on my heel and walked back inside, like I was just checking the rain gauge or something. From that day, I swore to never give my heart away again, because it only ever leads to heart-break.

Until now. Here I was in my bedroom, standing in front of my huge mirror, getting ready for prom. And this time, it wasn't an oh-you're-hot-so-I'll-go-with-you-because-we-compliment-each-other's-social-statuses. I had actually give away my heart to one Simon Lewis, world-ranked COD and D&D player.

A knock on my door broke me from my thoughts. "Come in Clary! I'm dressed!" I called, waiting for my best friend to open the door. It opened slowly, as if she couldn't tell if I was serious or not. Finally. when it opened, I could see Clary shaking.

"Iz, he opened the door. I thought you said Alec would get it," Clary said, her voice showing the tears she was holding back. I walked over to her and took the dress bag from her hands. "I wouldn't have agreed to come over if I knew he would be the one answering the door."

"Clary, I didn't know. He's been a lazy ass all day, but I guess he might've thought it was Val. She was over all morning, so he might've thought she had come back because she forgot her phone or something. Why are you two being so stubborn?" I demanded. They made love seem so complicated.

"Look, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. Just know that I still lo—like him the same as I always have, but I'm doing this to protect you. Just, please, Iz. Trust me," Clary pleaded. Looking at her face, I knew it was the truth.

"Fine. Let's get you dressed then. Even though you don't have a date, I want you to look perfect, so that all the guys who _didn't_ ask you will be eating their hearts out." I said firmly, leading her to my vanity table, which looked like a M.A.C truck had exploded on it. I handed Clary my container of make-up remover pads. "Wipe you mascara off, then go wash your face with this—" I handed her a bottle of face scrub and a towel "—in my bathroom. I'm going to set up a palate for your dress."

***$$#$$***

_**Forever**_

Isabelle PoV

"Clarissa Fairchild. Hold still while Isabelle does your makeup," Jocelyn chastised her daughter. I smirked. "You heard her Clary. Hold still.," I said, patting Clary's face with a blush brush. "What do you think, Ms. Fairchild? Too dark?" I asked, spinning Clary around to face her mother. Jocelyn looked at the blush I had put on Clary's cheekbones. "Maybe just a little lighter, Isabelle. Try that Fairy Dust Pink you bought yesterday," Ms. Fairchild suggested. I nodded and started wiping the blush from Clary's face. "Clarissa, stop scrunching your face," I said sharply. Charmeine giggled. She and Chaos were sitting at the foot of Ms. Fairchild's bed, all done up and dressed. They were going to be part of the wedding party too. Clary was the maid of honour, Charmeine, Chaos, and I were her bridesmaids, and we decided that Sky would be flower girl because she looked like a ten year old. She was running a little late.

I did one final swipe on Clary's cheek and decided that Jocelyn had been right. Fairy Dust Pink was perfect. I plucked a pearly coloured liquid eyeliner off of Jocelyn's dresser and shook the bottle. I gently applied it to Clary's face and Charmeine and Chaos were almost crying from laughter at Clary's expression as I applied it. "She's not stabbing you, Clary," Chaos pointed out, almost rolling on the floor. "Chaos get up. Don't ruin your dress," I scolded. I moved o to the eye shadow and applied a pink-and-beige palette to Clary's eyes. I gave Clary the mascara wand. "Don't stab yourself. I'm going to get your dress," I instructed Clary. I walked over to Jocelyn's closet where all of the dresses were. Jocelyn's dress was a pure white silk dress with a sweetheart neckline and one strap. It was floor length. For a mom, Jocelyn looked gorgeous.

The bridesmaid dresses were pale pink and strapless. The pink was slightly metallic so it was more of a pearly pink than an actual pink. The dresses were strapless and came to about mid-thigh with a little silver bow at the waist to cinch the bodice. I hadn't put mine on yet because I didn't want to get it all powdery from doing everyone's make-up. I did Jocelyn's make-up first because she was the bride. "Sorry I'm late! My mom had, like, a million things for me to do this morning!" Sky rushed in. I brought Clary her dress and signalled for Charm and Chaos to help her get into it. "Sit down Sky," I said in an ominous voice.

Skylark complied and sat on the other make-up stool. Sky had gorgeous purple-red hair (which she was considering dyeing blonde again), so her flower girl dress was all shades of purples. I used the same Fairy Dust Pink blush on Sky. She wrinkled her nose at the irony. I quickly moved on to the eyeliner. I chose a sparkly metallic purple and a purple-and-silver eye shadow palette. I had Sky apply her own mascara so I could get into my dress. Clary helped me into it and I tried to convince her to wear the stilettos. "Sky, honey, you look gorgeous, but what about your eyes?" Jocelyn pointed out to Skylark. Sky held up one finger, her all-blue eyes twinkling devilishly. She closed her eyes and rubbed them lightly through her eyelids, being careful not to smudge her make-up. "Tada! My mom finally taught me," Sky announced, opening her eyes to show fully human eyes. We all clapped and smiled at her. I helped Sky into her dress, which was strapless and silver with purple floral designs on it. She looked so cute. We chose little metallic purple flats with a silver flower on the toe to go with her dress.

We all got into our shoes and my phone rang. "Hey? Ready?" I asked, knowing that it was Alec. "Hey, Iz. Yeah, everything's set down here. How about you guys? All done up yet?" Alec asked. I glanced over my shoulder to see everyone dressed and in their footwear. "Yep, all ready here too. The limo just pulled up," I replied. None of us could drive except for Jocelyn, so we decided to order a limo. "Okay., see you in a few," Alec hung up. I could hear the limo pull up through the window. I motioned for everyone to go downstairs.

We loaded into the limo and I paid the driver with the cash Mom had left me. We had Jocelyn sit in the centre in the back. The limo driver was a very chatty blonde lady who enjoyed telling us stories about the times she had celebrities in her limo. Luckily, we only had to hear about 5 minutes of them because the clearing wasn't far from the Institute. All of the chairs were filled with unfamiliar people. I recognised Simon standing off to the side with the ring and I saw my brothers handing out wedding programs. Clary's eyes widened at the sight of Jace in a tux."Wow, Jace can clean up _well_," Sky remarked, nudging Clary. Jocelyn shot her a look and Clary blushed. The limo parked and we stepped out, careful to make sure that no one would see us.

Sky PoV

I took a deep breath as we stepped out of the limo and focused on looking about eight years old. Jocelyn wanted the 'cute factor' in her wedding, so _of course_ Isabelle volunteered me. I mean, I _love_ weddings, but seriously? A sixteen year old _flower girl_? I grabbed my basket of flowers and put my corsage and flower head band on. Luke nodded at me from across the clearing and the music started playing. I skipped down the center of the two wings, throwing flower petals out and being cute. Everyone clapped as Jocelyn came into their view and I stopped walking once I came close to Luke. Luke was actually wearing a suit and tie and he looked like he just shaved. Nothing like the werewolf pack leader and I knew.

The middle of the ceremony was a blur. A guy in a suit from the Clave read the wedding passages and Simon brought Luke the wedding ring and came to stand beside me. He grabbed my hand and squeezed once. Luke slid the wedding ring onto Jocelyn's finger and they said their _I do_'s. They then kissed and you could feel the air around them spark. We all clapped for them and once they were done the Clave guy said a few words to wrap up the ceremony.

Pictures immediately followed the ceremony. As part of the wedding party I probably posed for at least six or seven pictures. Several people came up to me and told me that I looked adorable. I think they were all under the impression that I was, in fact, ten. Simon stood next to me the whole time, towering over me. Good thing about being short: I can rest my head on his chest. Bad thing about being short: his mouth is harder to access.

When Luke finally announced that we would be having dinner inside I was incredibly happy. The sun was going down and the air rapidly getting colder. I wasn't sure if it was just me, but everything was tense, like the slightest move would throw everything off balance and throw the world into shambles. I was pretty sure that the others could feel it too. Simon kept glancing over his shoulder, as if to check we weren't being followed. Clary and Jace kept splitting up and scanning to perimeter. The angels, Charmeine and Chaos, were acting shaky and I'd bet anything that they were feeling the upset balance.

"You okay, Sky? You keep shivering," Simon noticed. "Yeah, I'm fine, Si. Don't worry. We're going inside for dinner anyway. I'll be fine," I said, doing my best to keep a straight face. Staying emotionless was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

***$$#$$***

**_Shadowhunter Reunion_**

Idris

"She wants what?" Clary asked incredulously, staring at Isabelle with her green eyes wide open.

"I'll repeat this for the last time Clary," Isabelle said with exaggerated patience. "Jessamine likes Jace. She knows you're with Jace. She wants him anyway. She told me that if I introduce her to Jace and they hit it off, we can have both beds and the big dresser. So really, if we just tell Jace to _pretend_ to like her and then dump her once she gives us the beds and dresser, she won't really be stealing your boyfriend. _Capito_?"

Clary sighed and collapsed onto the cot she dragged up from the basement. Stupid Jessamine and her stupid prissy-ness and her stupid looks. "You know that she only put the big bed on the line because she thinks that she'll be sleeping in _Jace's_ every night?" she asked Isabelle, trying not to show her total frustration.

Isabelle let out her breath until her lungs started screaming. Clary was for sure her best friend until the end of the universe, but sometimes Clary could be so _innocent_. "Jace isn't going to invite her to bed. He's going to entertain her for one night and then he's going to push her into the fountain in Angel Square. There'll be no smoochy-smoochy or any kind of physical touching except _maybe_ holding hands, and even that is pushing it. I swear on the Angel, Clarissa, I am not saying this to get between you and Jace. I hate Princess Jessamine as much as you do."

"Iz, as much as I want to believe you, I wouldn't put it past that _seductress_ to try. Here, let me put this in perspective for you. Let's say that, hmm, right now for example, you go away and Simon is left in New York all by his lonesome and Maia comes over to his house. Would you want her there with him while you're gone? Be honest with me Isabelle, what does Simon do when you're gone?" Clary asked Isabelle.

Iz had to think a moment about that. "Well, whenever _I_ ask him that, he says that he spends the time thinking about me and bragging about me to his band mates, but _I_ think that he spends most of it on his house watching reruns of _CSI_ and _Grey's Anatomy_ on the TV. Oh and I _think_ he watches _Gossip Girl_ sometimes, but I can't get him to admit it."

Clary stifled a giggle. Simon _did_ watch _Gossip Girl_ and he was the one who got her into watching _The Vampire Diaries_. Apparently it was the only vampire show he could watch without feeling the need to throw up because they actually got the fangs right. "And now let's say that Maia knocks on his door and asks if he wants to hang out. Immediately all thoughts of you fly out of his mind and you're forgotten because there's a pretty girl in front of him and you're not around to give him his female company fix. Can you see why I'm so against leaving Jessamine with Jace?" Clary asked. She decided to keep the _Vampire Diaries _and _Gossip Girl_ thing to herself. It would make good bait to bribe him with.

Izzy glared at the red-headed Shadowhunter across from her. How dare she suggest that her boyfriend was hanging out with that werewolf. "I get what you're trying to say Clary, but Jace is good at the one night stand thing. Before you came along he had a new one every night. I'm pretty sure that you can trust him to stay loyal. That boy would put his life on the line for you. He _loves_ you. There is no way in hell Jessamine can break that apart. You guys are indestructible, nothing can pull you apart—"

"They said the same thing about the _Titanic_, but that iceberg took care of the unsinkable ship pretty quickly," Clary cut Isabelle off.

"Yeah, yeah and Leonardo di Caprio dies at the end, I know the story. The Ice Princess can't pull you two apart, though. You're like Romeo and Juliet, no screw that they both died at the end, you're like Darcy and Elizabeth, John and Sav—nevermind. Well, you know what I mean. You do, don't you?" Isabelle looked Clary in the eyes and saw the defiance written across them in black Sharpie. _Angel, she's so stubborn!_ Isabelle thought.

****#****

Will adjusted his black t-shirt so it didn't look like he'd just gotten run over by a double-decker bus. He had a nice blood-moustache from when Jace had smashed his face into the bedpost. Thankfully his nose wasn't broken, and the dried blood would come off with a little water. Will took a deep breath and splashed his face with water from the wash basin.

He had whole room to himself now that his cousin had decided to go for a walk to cool off and get his act together for the dinner that night.

_How the hell did that idiot manage to surprise me like that?_ ran through Will's mind. No one _ever_ got the better of him. Ever. He was Will Herondale, Shadowhunter supreme. The fact that his loser cousin beating him was pissing him off.

_Of course, Jonathan isn't normal_, his mind reminded him. _Valentine just so happened to genetically alter him, so really it makes total sense that he beat the crap out of you._

Will inwardly glared at the voice. Sometimes, like now for instance, it was right, no matter how wrong he wished it to be. Will wished his cousin hadn't taken him down to quickly, hadn't been able to overpower him so quickly.

Will turned off the tap and pulled his bloody shirt off. He loved that shirt and was pissed that his cousin had the nerve to bloody it. _I should've shredded his leather jacket while I had the chance_, Will thought to himself, thinking about the two minute window he had where Jace went to the washroom to calm himself down. _In the mundane world, that child would've been in anger management classes_.

Will could hear a knock at the door of his room. He slipped on a clean dress-shirt and walked over to it, opening it to reveal a pretty red-haired girl in a black dress. She eyed him nervously, biting her lip. _Hello gorgeous_, he thought.

"Hi, I'm Will Herondale. How can I be of assistance to you?" he asked, putting on his best smile.

The girl flushed a pretty shade of pink. "Hello, I'm Clary Fray-Fairchild-Morgenstern. I go by all those last names. I'm looking for my boyfri—Jace. I'm looking for Jace. Is he here?" Clary took a peek inside Will's room, as if searching for his stupid cousin.

_Hmm, so this is Jace's girlfriend? She probably means more to him than his leather jacket_, Will thought. He plastered a sensual smile on his face. "Well, hello, Miss Clary. I have heard _so_ much about you. Jace just stepped out for a minute, why don't you come in and wait for him here."

Clary nodded nervously. "Your room is a mess!" she exclaimed, taking in the disarranged furniture and half-made beds. "Jace is going to go O.C.D when he sees this!"

Will laughed inwardly. Jace, a neat freak. Who'd a thought? "Great. I'm looking forward to that."

Clary leaned forward and squinted at his face. "Sorry, this is probably really random, but is that _blood_ on your chin?" she asked.

Will had to give the girl a hand, she noticed _everything_. "Yes, I'm afraid it is. I tried to clean it off earlier, but it seems I've missed some." He could hear footsteps coming up the stairs and would bet his last seraph blade that it was his dear cousin.

Clary gave a little laugh. "I can give you a hand. Do you have a cloth or something?"

Will reached over and grabbed a wash cloth off of the floor. He had attempted to strangle Jace with it earlier. Not that he would tell Clary that.

Clary grabbed it off him and leaned in, placing the cloth to his chin, her lips mere centimetres from his. Will leaned in as he heard Jace's footsteps reach their floor. Clary looked startled and dropped the cloth, pushing Will away. Will fell onto the floor with a thump as Jace opened the door.

Surprise flooded over his cousin's face. "Clary? What are you doing up here?" Clary spun around, face going beet red. Will felt a smirk crawl across his face.

"Jace! I was looking for you—Izzy and I need to talk to you about something! I was looking for you and then you weren't here and I got to meet your cousin Will and now you're here!" she babbled, spinning towards Jace.

"Okay, Clary. Why don't we leave Will to his strange meditations on the floor and you can tell me what's so important," Jace smirked at Will, who was now sitting cross-legged on the floor and glaring at the oh-so-cute-couple.

Jace led Clary out of the room, leaving Will on his own. _Damn you_, Will thought.

New York 

New York was exactly like Tessa remembered it. Busy, bustling, and bursting with energy. Even at two in the morning, the city buzzed with life.

Tessa stood by the huge bay window in Magnus Bane's apartment. Magnus had left for a minute to go do 'warlock stuff' and had told her to watch his cat, Chairman Meow. However, to Tessa, Chairman Meow was more of a mouse than a cat. Maybe he was part hamster.

The cat was cleaning himself on the couch, so Tessa had gotten up to give the cat some privacy. Tired of looking out the window and longing to hear Aunt Harriet call her name and tell her it was time for dinner, Tessa began to wander the main floor of Magnus's apartment. It was much larger than the one Aunt Harriet had owned, but Magnus had been alive when the stock markets first opened, so that was to be expected. He probably had stock in oil and brought in hundreds of dollars a year just off of that.

You could tell Magnus was a world traveller just by looking at his living room. There were Greek sculptures in the corners, a totem pole with a lamp balancing on the top beside one of the couches, and all manners of Parisian and Italian paintings lining the walls. But what Tessa thought was the most impressive was the bookcases that lined the walls of his study. Books on everything from cooking, to novels, modern and older, stood on the shelves. All of Tessa's all-time favourites were there, some even the original copies.

Tessa gently picked up the frail copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ and cradled it in her arms. Jane Austen's signature was on the inside of the front cover, with the words_ Signed for the wonderful Magnus Bane_ written beside the signature.

"Beautiful collection, isn't it?" a voice asked, and Tessa spun around, letting out a little shriek and almost dropping the book.

"Magnus you scared me!" Tessa scolded him, clutching one hand over her heart.

"Sorry, sweetheart. We have company, come and mingle," Magnus ordered, not sounding sorry at all.

Tessa put the book back on the shelf and walked back to the living room. Sitting on the couches were a boy and girl she had never met before in her life. The boy had dark hair that fell over his eyes and pale skin. Tessa was almost certain he was a vampire. The girl, on the other hand, had skin the colour of caramel, and brown curly hair.

***$$#$$***

Okay, so there you have them. I will try to update at least those three stories as soon as I can.

xoxoxo

**FireandIce95** [that's going to take some getting used to;)]


End file.
